if you're going to have cake
TRANSCRIPT
RIDICULOUS
A lightning strike in 1996 caused an enormous trash slide in Rumpke Sanitary Landfill of Ohio, which exposed 15 acres of trash and took months to cover with new waste. forbes.com
Missy Lacock
America wastes a lot of food every year – 133 billion pounds in 2010, to be exact, according to the U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA). It’s a ridiculous amount, but between my own wasteful food habits and my years in the food service industry, I’m not surprised. If other Americans are even remotely like me, no wonder that waste pile is so high (sorry, Earth).
I’ll admit it: I’m an awful cook. Whether it’s Murphy’s Law, bad luck, or – let’s be honest – zero instincts in the kitchen, my experiments always go awry. These fiascos usually end up splattering the inside of my garbage can. Worse yet, I’m prone to sudden, wild health kicks and often over-stock my refrigerator with vegetables and other things I hate. Inevitably, the impulse ebbs and I tip cans of soggy greens into my dumpster. The good news? I never toss Oreos. I am a responsible Oreo-eater.
Sure. Judge me. But I didn’t waste 133 billion pounds of food on my own, people. In all fairness, however, neither did you. I’ve spent a decade working for The Man in restaurants (probably because of some atrocious sin I committed in a past life), and I know how many dumpsters of mis- taken orders and day-old food are out there. I’ve filled some of them myself – as if wear- ing a hat wasn’t bad enough.
More than 96% of wasted food ends up in landfills, where it breaks down to the greenhouse gas methane and contributes to climate change, according to the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency. And – just to make sure we feel thoroughly hor-rible about ourselves – here’s a basic hunger statistic: One in seven Americans suffered from food insecurity in 2012, according to the USDA.
Not only is 133 billion pounds of food waste absurd in face of global warming and hunger, but the total value of wasted food is a whopping $161.6 billion. That’s a lot of greenbacks we could all use back in our checking accounts. Developing restaurant waste-reduction practices and
personal responsible food-buying and cooking skills will not only keep food out of the landfills but keep us from throwing our cash away with our dinners. $
27fall 2014
“...THE TOTAL VALUE OF WASTED FOOD IS A WHOPPING $161.6 BILLION.”
brasscredits featureswhat’s in your cart • 5usda.gov
au naturel • 7pitt.edu • nih.gov • cdc.gov • ewg.org • asaub.edu usda.gov • time.com • nationalgeographic.com washingtonpost.com
you are where you eat • 8-10crescentcityfarmersmarket.org • stlouisfed.org pbs.org • epa.gov • gatheringtogetherfarm.com census.gov • gallup.com • marketumbrella.org essaysinhistory.com • petersongarden.org • bls.gov
a dollar’s worth • 11usda.gov • bestapples.com
global groceries • 12-13usda.gov
dinner in a snap • 14-15usda.gov • cbpp.org • washingtonpost.com usatoday.com • history.com • bloomberg.com nytimes.com
feast frugally • 16-17foodista.com • howstuffworks.com
stranded in the (food) desert • 18ajpmonline.org • diabetesforecast.org • wisc.edu diabetes.org • columbia.edu • whitehouse.gov cdfifund.gov • healthyfoodaccess.org • usda.gov foodispower.org • whyhunger.org • harvard.edu human.cornell.edu • oregonfoodbank.org • hhs.gov huffingtonpost.com
good ‘ol groceries • 19groceteria.com • reuters.com • pigglywiggly.com bls.gov • forbes.com • fundinguniverse.com usda.gov
brain scams • 20-21fastcompany.com • forbes.com • consumerist.com today.com • realsimple.com • businessinsider.com lifehacker.com • consumerreports.org • adage.com webmd.com • womenshealthmag.com • msn.com psychologytoday.com • healthrealizations.com usatoday.com • rd.com • abcnews.com • cnn.com notredamecollege.edu • apartmenttherapy.com upi.com
my plate is your plate • 22-23new-ag.info • pnas.org • epa.gov • purdue.edu cornell.edu • investopedia.com • who.int • npr.org gatesfoundation.org • bbc.co.uk • farmland.org uwyo.edu • reuters.com • ifpri.org • usda.gov acs.org
food fight • 24-25econlib.org • senate.gov • money.cnn.com • pbs.org ncga.com • usda.gov • mercatus.org • house.gov bloomberg.com • ewg.org • theweek.com • iptv.org princeton.edu • epa.gov • britannica.com • ed.gov harvestpublicmedia.org • senate.gov • forbes.com washingtonpost.com • ewg.org • agclassroom.org cropinsuranceinamerica.org • openspending.org house.gov • census.gov
departmentswhat the what: from farm to fork • 4epa.gov • bls.gov • starbucks.com • usda.gov forbes.com • cdc.gov • ewg.org • nytimes.com dothaneagle.com • abcnews.com • yahoo.com pbs.org • earthsfriends.com
ridiculous: if you’re going to have cake, eat it • 27usda.gov • epa.gov
the ten: get-together grub • 28nationalchickencouncil.org • producenews.com avocadocentral.com • necco.com • nielsen.com hot-dog.org • usda.gov • jellybelly.com • fao.org illinois.edu • kcbd.com • latimes.com • today.com popcorn.org
IF YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE CAKE, EAT IT